A lot to like about 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon

Seldom -- OK, probably never -- have I had so much positive reaction to the styling of a station wagon as I did with the 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon. I like the looks of the CTS sedan and the new-for-2011 CTS coupe, but, for some reason, the basic styling template of the CTS seems to work best with the wagon. It is, in a word, a knockout.

I have a few issues with the CTS Sport Wagon, but let's cover the good stuff first: Not only is it pretty, it's practical. There's plenty of room for two up front, and reasonably good space for three adults in the rear seat. There's 25 cubic feet of cargo room with the rear seat in place; 53.4 feet if you fold the seat down.

The test model had the larger of the two available engines, a 3.6-liter, 304-horsepower V-6. Standard is a 3.0-liter, 270-hp V-6. Both those engines run happily on regular gasoline. Unlike the CTS sedan, no manual transmission is offered, only a French-built six-speed automatic. The CTS Sport Wagon comes with standard rear-wheel drive, or optional all-wheel drive. Our tester was rear-drive.

Inside, the CTS Sport Wagon is certainly luxurious enough, and the Premium package on the test car added options such as heated and cooled front seats, a back-up camera and a panoramic sunroof to the already long list of features that included leather upholstery, a power rear hatch and headlights that shift the beam slightly to the left or right when you turn the steering wheel. There was also a very good navigation system mated to a Bose 10-speaker stereo, which came with a 40-gigabyte hard drive. And there was no shortage of safety equipment, including stability control, side and side-curtain airbags and, of course, the OnStar emergency communications system.

So far, so good, but the CTS Sport Wagon was not a complete home run. Sure, there's a plethora of luxury equipment, but the packaging seemed a step behind the best competition, which is -- as Cadillac executives eagerly insist -- Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi. Sure, there's wood and leather and soft-to-the-touch vinyl, but the execution seems a bit dated.

On the road, handling and ride can't be faulted, in part because the test car had an optional performance package with larger 19-inch tires and wheels, a stiffer suspension and upgraded disc brakes. The 3.6-liter V-6 has plenty of punch, though that French-built transmission seemed at times confused and slow to act. Yes, you can shift it manually, but it still doesn't feel sporty. Fuel mileage is EPA rated at 18 mpg city, 26 mpg highway, but I averaged just over 17 mpg, and that wasn't due to particularly aggressive driving.

And finally, two comparatively minor criticisms that I tried to ignore but couldn't: Slam the front doors on a Mercedes or BMW, and you typically get the sense of a vault closing. You do not get that sense with the CTS Sport Wagon. Similarly, when you start the engine, the sound and the momentary vibration reminded me of my father's Plymouth Duster with the "Slant Six" engine, acceptable in 1972, not now, not for $52,000. Again, Mercedes, BMWs and Audis don't sound that way.

Cadillac got so much right with the CTS Sport Wagon. Fix a few of these comparatively minor problems, and you'd have a world-class car to match the beyond-world-class looks.

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